The Seen and The Unseen

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All public policies have two kinds of effects: the effects that are intended and visible; and unintended consequences which are invisible. The Seen and the Unseen is a podcast that aims to examine both the seen and the unseen effects of our actions. Presented by journalist Amit Varma, the show takes on a specific public policy in every episode, and dissects its seen and unseen effects.The podcast is an Indus Vox Media Production

All public policies have two kinds of effects: the effects that are intended and visible; and unintended consequences which are invisible. The Seen and the Unseen is a podcast that aims to examine both the seen and the unseen effects of our actions. Presented by journalist Amit Varma, the show takes on a specific public policy in every episode, and dissects its seen and unseen effects.The podcast is an Indus Vox Media Production

All public policies have two kinds of effects: the effects that are intended and visible; and unintended consequences which are invisible. The Seen and the Unseen is a podcast that aims to examine both the seen and the unseen effects of our actions. Presented by journalist Amit Varma, the show takes on a specific public policy in every episode, and dissects its seen and unseen effects.The podcast is an Indus Vox Media Production

Episodes

A democracy is not merely about voting. Those who are voted into power need to be kept in check, and Rules and Institutions are essential for this. Foreign policy analyst Ameya Naik joins Amit Varma in episode 99 of The Seen and the Unseen to elaborate -- and to explain the danger that Donald Trump poses.
Also check out:
Why Both Modi and Trump are Textbook Populists - Amit Varma
Ek Baar Jo Maine Commitment Kar Di - Amit Varma
Trade Deficits (and Trumpism) - Episode 73 of The Seen and...

When people think of the Deccan, they think Shivaji vs Mughals. But the history of the Deccan is far richer than that -- and far racier. It's full of lust and laughter, murder and madness, sex and senselessness. Historian Manu S Pillai joins Amit Varma in episode 98 of The Seen and the Unseen to tell that fascinating story.
Also check out:
Manu S Pillai's book Rebel Sultans, on Amazon and on Juggernaut
The Indianness of Indian Food -- ep 95 of The Seen and the Unseen
You can listen to...

In his three-decade career covering cricket, Harsha Bhogle has had an inside view on the transformation of the game. He joins Amit Varma in episode 97 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about how cricket has changed – and why it gives him hope.
You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5
You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com
Also check out:
How Money Changed Cricket -- Ep...

The world evolves in a bottom-up way, despite the top-down beliefs of those who have blind faith in either God or Government. Matt Ridley joins Amit Varma in episode 96 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe the evolution of the universe, life, culture, language, cities, the economy, our minds, our future and more.
Also check out:
The Evolution of Everything -- Matt Ridley
Other books by Matt Ridley: The Rational Optimist,Genome,The Origins of Virtue
Matt Ridley's Homepage
What Does It...

What does it mean when we say that something is 'Indian'? Does origin matter? Food writer Vikram Doctor joins Amit Varma in episode 95 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about how most of what we think of as Indian food originated elsewhere -- and it doesn't matter.
Also check out
The Real Food Podcast on Audiomatic

Rajesh Jain was one of the architects of Narendra Modi's win in 2014 -- and then got buyer's remorse and turned against the BJP. Now, he has launched Dhan Vapasi, an insanely ambitious and innovative attempt at disrupting Indian politics. He joins Amit Varma in episode 94 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain where he's coming from.
Note: The first half of the show is about Jain's political journey before this: supporting Modi, changing his mind etc. The conversation about Dhan Vapasi...

For over 200 years, America has been interested in South Asia across three separate axes: power, ideology and culture. Historian Srinath Raghavan joins Amit Varma in episode 93 of The Seen and the Unseen to provide a guided tour of this fascinating history.
Also read:
The Most Dangerous Place: A History of the United States in South Asia.

Will the #MeToo movement change behaviour by changing incentives? Economist Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 92 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about Criminal Economics in the context of crimes on women in India.
Also check out:
Changing the Costs for the Rational Sexual Predator: Shruti Rajagopalan in Mint
Men Must Step Up Now: Amit Varma's ediotrial in Pragati
The Importance of #MeToo: Episode 90 of The Seen and the Unseen
Metrics of Empowerment: Episode 88 of The...

The crisis at IL&FS reveals just how rotten India's financial system is. Vivek Kaul and Ashutosh Datar join Amit Varma in episode 91 of The Seen and the Unseen to demystify the problem.
Also check out:
DeMon, Morality & the Predatory Indian State -- Episode 85 of The Seen and the Unseen
The DNA of the NPA -- Episode 32 of The Seen and the Unseen
It's Time to Stop Buying LIC Policies -- Vivek Kaul
LIC Should Not Rescue IL&FS -- Vivek Kaul
Slay This Indian Hydra -- Andy Mukherjee
How...

#MeToo is the most important cultural moment of our lifetimes. Supriya Nair and Nikita Saxena join Amit Varma in episode 90 of The Seen and the Unseen to share their insights.
Also check out:
Hostile Climate: Nikita Saxena (Feature on RK Pachauri)
#MeToo is anarchic, and that’s a good thing: Supriya Nair
Metrics of Empowerment: Episode 88 of The Seen and the Unseen
Claiming Your Space: Episode 76 of The Seen and the Unseen
One Bad Law Goes, but Women Remain Second Class Citizens: Amit...

Are journalists redundant in a world where no one cares about facts any more? Are we to cater to people's imagined realities? And when money and power come together, how are Independent journalists to resist? Sidharth Bhatia of The Wire and Peter Griffin of The Hindu join Amit Varma in episode 89 of The Seen and the Unseen.
Also check out:
The State of the Media: Episode 46 of The Seen and the Unseen, with Prem Panicker
The Facts Do Not Matter -- Amit Varma

The lives of women in India must be gradually getting better, right? How do we measure this? Devika Kher, Nidhi Gupta and Hamsini Hariharan join Amit Varma in episode 88 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss a range of possible metrics.
Also check out:
Where Are the Jobs? -- Episode 87 of The Seen and the Unseen, with Yazad Jal
Claiming Your Space -- Episode 76 of The Seen and the Unseen, with Aditi Mittal & Swati Bakshi
Take Cities to the Women -- Devika Kher
Frailty, Thy Name is...

India has entered a massive jobs crisis, with more than a million people coming into the workforce every month -- and not enough jobs. Will our Demographic Dividend be a Demographic Disaster? Yazad Jal of the 20 Million Jobs project joins Amit Varma in episode 87 of The Seen and the Unseen to give insight on the scale of the problem.
Also check out:
The Jobscape -- Yazad Jal
20 Million Jobs: Episode 48 of The Pragati Podcast
The Coming Jobs Crisis: Episode 20 of The Seen and the...

India's agricultural crisis has been caused by the state. Farmer leader Gunvant Patil of the Shetkari Sanghatana joins Amit Varma in episode 86 of The Seen and the Unseen to explain the many ways in which Big Government has created our agricultural crisis.
Also see:
'We Must Save Our Farmers' -- Amit Varma
'Free the Farmers' -- Barun Mitra
'The Crisis in Indian Agriculture' -- Brainstorm discussion on Pragati
'Entry and Exit in Agriculture' -- Episode 1 of The Seen and the Unseen
'The...

Episode 85 of The Seen and the Unseen is about Demonetisation -- and a lot else. First, host Amit Varma launches into an angry monologue about how economic benefits can never justify moral costs. Then he is joined by economist Shruti Rajagopalan, who elaborates on all the things wrong with DeMon. They discuss the predatory Indian state, how Indians are forced into jugaad to cope with it, and that this jugaad might seem to be a good thing, but represents the enormous cost that all of us...

What is it like to grow up gay in a deeply homophobic country? Writer and stand-up comedian Navin Noronha joins Amit Varma in ep 84 of The Seen and the Unseen to talk about his experience of growing up gay in Bhayandar, and his insights from his podcast, Keeping it Queer.
Also check out
Keeping it Queer -- Navin Noronha's podcast
How I Met My Daddy -- Navin Noronha
The Matunga Racket -- Amit Varma
You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android:...

India is a young country, and young Indians today are entitled and angry. Snigdha Poonam joins Amit Varma in episode 83 of The Seen and the Unseen to discuss the turmoil in small-town India.
Also read:
Snigdha's book, Dreamers: How Indians are Changing the World
You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5
You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is short-sighted, and does not achieve its purpose. Why? What can we do? Economist Shruti Rajagopalan joins Amit Varma in episode 82 of The Seen and the Unseen to break it all down.
Also read
India needs sewage systems, not free toilets -- Shruti Rajagopalan
That Which is Seen, and That Which is Not Seen -- Frédéric Bastiat
The Use of Knowledge in Society -- Friedrich Hayek
Public Choice: Politics Without Romance -- James Buchanan
Where India Goes -- Diane...

How does China see its place in the world? What are its foreign policy objectives? Should India be worried? China expert Manoj Kewalramani(https://twitter.com/theChinaDude) joins Amit Varma(https://twitter.com/amitvarma) in episode 81 of The Seen and the Unseen.
Also check out:
Eye on China(https://www.thinkpragati.com/category/world/china/): Manoj Kewalramani's weekly column in Pragati.
Inside Xi's China(http://takshashila.org.in/special-courses/): Takshashila's online course, conducted...

India as a nuclear power is a different force from what it was before we went nuclear. Lt Gen Prakash Menon joins Amit Varma(https://twitter.com/amitvarma) in episode 80 of The Seen and the Unseen to describe how War and Statecraft have been redefined by nuclear weapons.
Also read:
Lt Gen Menon's book, The Strategy Trap: India and Pakistan Under the Nuclear...